Many modem homes are equipped with certain electrical outlets protected by a GFI (ground fault interruption) circuit having a circuit breaker. The GFI circuit may cover more than one electrical outlet, and the outlets can be positioned apart from each other (even in different rooms) in the home. Typically, one electrical outlet associated with the GFI circuit will include a reset switch. While a person may be able to look at the outlet with the GFI reset to determine if the breaker or fuse has tripped, it can be difficult to identify when a power interruption occurs on other outlets. Further, not all GFI outlets are readily visually accessible. This can be problematic if a device is plugged into an affected outlet so that a power interruption or failure may cause unnecessary loss of data, food, or other items.
In the past, power-out alerts have been proposed that plug into an outlet to monitor for power failure using a relatively long (15′) cord that allegedly can wire into any alarm panel, telephone communicator or wireless transmitter. However, these type of hard wired devices can be relatively expensive and overly complex for many consumer applications.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for a power failure alert that is economic and easy to install and use.